Contributed by Heavenchampagne:
Let me set the record straight on many rumors and supposedly facts on Mariah Carey’s voice. Mariah Carey’s high note in the live rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was a B6. It’s not a G7# like many say. Mariah Carey’s highest note was a live performance of Emotions at the Grammy Awards. I believe they also showed this amazing feat. on MTV and MTV2 22 Greatest Voices. She was the #1 voice. In the song Emotions her high note in the recorded version on the album is a Eb6. But in her live performance she sang higher than that. Up to an F7#. That is her highest note in a live performance. If you want her highest note in recorded music. It’s from her first album Mariah Carey. Listen to the song, All In Your Mind… Her highest note is an F7. She sings the high note at the very end of the song as it’s ending. So there’s your proof for her highest note in a Live or Recorded version of her songs.
Now If you want to know that the Guinness Book of World Records is wrong. They say Yma Sumac holds the record for possessing a four-octave vocal range. The widest range ever known to man. But Mariah Carey’s range is actually more than that. Her range was reported to be 8 octaves. Which obviously isn’t true. If she had 8 octaves that means she would be able to sing the lowest note on the piano a C1 [Which is Bass 2 range. {Most guys about 95% in the world can't even sing}...] And then she would not have to sing a G7#. She would have to sing higher than that. Which is a C8. The highest note on the piano. [No one in the world known or not known can sing that note. It has said that only one person probably ever in the history of man-kind could come even close to that. {Which is by my facts Mariah Carey. She sings a F7#. Which is 3 and a half steps away from the highest note on the piano}...] Which isn’t far. the notes are C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B… and then it repeats to C… and so on… So here is a visual scale of her highest note from the live rendition of the Star Spangled Banner to the live rendition of Emotions and Recorded version of All In Your Mind. B6 (Live Highest note supposedly a G7#… Not true), C7, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#7 (Live/recorded highest note), G, Ab, A, Bb, B, [C8] – (The highest note on the piano.
Now back to the answer. Mariah Carey’s octave range is four octaves and two notes. She sings from a D3 all the way up to her highest note which is a F7#. That’s the world record. So Yma Sumac doesn’t hold the record.
Also Mariah Carey’s voice is truly a medical wonder. Her high notes she sings is b/c she has a whistle register. Which is extremely rare. And I mean rare. Being that the dolphin is the only mammal alive that can hit a note as high her. Now in full-voice Mariah has a 3 octave range. But w/ her whistle register she can sing higher than four octaves. My proof is listen to her live rendition of My Saving Grace from the Soul Train Music Awards from this year. There’s your proof. Aight I gotta go. Just wanted you to know the facts. Bu-bye Now my lowest note is a C2 and my highest note is a G6. My octave range is four octaves and four notes. And I can prove it. The piano as my proof. Anyways. I just wanted you to know the facts about her voice.
Resource(s): Eddy
Mariah-Carey.org
Georgia Brown has an 8 octave range. FACT! She can sing notes G2 to G10. The largest and highest vocal range known to man. Also since this was article Mariah Carey has released several new albums in which she belts whistle register far higher than in ‘Emotions’ and ‘All in your Mind’.
actually I believe it is 4 octaves and 5 notes if you include all material leading up to her most recent effort, E=MC2. check out this video I just watched: youtube.com/watch?v=yTaBP-J3NxQ
No… Mariah has a dead solid 5 octave range G2-G#7….The Live Rendition of Emotions was actually a G#7…
Wrong! Her LIVE vocal range displayed up to this day IS, in fact and indeed, EXACTLY 5 octaves…not even one semitone more nor less. The lowest note she reached was a G#2 during an interview when she did a lil’ vocal run with her low register, going down to that note. In a live performance, for the song “Yours”, in a TV show in UK she went down to A2. On the “You And I” live performance she went down to Bb2 a few times…not to mention she sustained with vibrato several times C#3 and Eb3 notes throughout this same performance. Her highest note was G#7 on the 1991 live performance of Emotions for the MTV Awards. She also did G7 and F#7 notes in several other live performances of “Emotions”.
G#2 – G#7…no gaps in between = precisely and accurately 5 octaves..
this article is totally crap and outdated
her highest note is a G7 but on Arsenio Hall rendition of emotions and a G7 on the MTV VMA rendition of emotions. Her range is/was lager than four octaves and two notes, search another place on the net
whistle register isn’t that rare even guys have, however good whistle register(and ones that are that high as Mariah’s) are rare
all of you just shut up!! the only proof is let Mariah sing her lowest and highest live! so that can figure
Some things here are true, but the highest note it s in fact a Gsharp, and it wasn’t on the Arsenio Hall. For me it seems she didn’t sing the note she wanted to , was higher, and then sounds like a Gsharp.
She has at least almost 5 octaves range. 4 and a major 6th.
There are people who can sing the last C of the piano AND higher, as Adam Lopez, you can see it on youtube. Georgia Browns too.
well, guys the only thing that we can do is to listen to her songs not to fight because of it, but allow me to criticize, she can hit high notes, yes it’s true but can Mariah sing in front of you and give her best…. hehehe..lol
You won’t believe me but who cares… I’m sad I never tested myself back when I sang. I could do at LEAST five octaves. Now I’m only 4.3 or something like that.
A lot of people have whistle registers btw. They just sing opera. Opera teaches you how to sing like that. Impressive for a pop star but listen to the real divas… divine. Cary is not so impressive anymore.
I LOVE MARIAH CAREY! I HATE GEORGIA BROWN (because she is a freak, not a singer). Enough said.
Well…I liked the article. Georgia Brown…can she really be all that bad?
if it she can’t sing eight octaves, who cares that she can sing five? WHO CARES? WHO CARES? bet you can guess who doesn’t. No one wants to steal her spotlight. Georgia sounds cool I’m going to see how good she is for myself.
“They just sing opera. Opera teaches you how to sing like that. Impressive for a pop star but listen to the real divas… divine. Cary is not so impressive anymore.”
says Meower
imagine is she had become a diva they would teach her more to what she already had. If she had learned to use her voice properly, I bet she could’ve beat Georgia’s record and her voice would endure forever. Those opera folks really have voices that endure.
MARIA IS A GREAT SINGER NO ONE “”"”"”CAN ////FIGHT HER
VOICE/////EVEN
ALL DIVAS.THEY CAN’T MAKE MARIA CAREY EASILY BRINGS DOWN. I LOVE MARIA CAREY
Mariah definitely does NOT hold the world record for the highest note, how is this possible when you said she only had a 4 octave range? And her lowest was an A2? I have a 4 octave range! Mariah has at least 5. “the dolphin is the only mammal alive that can hit a note as high as her.” BULL SH** and you spelled dolphin wrong. You must be a fan, your claims are ridiculous. I love Mariah, but if she read this even she would say its bull sh**.
First of all, we all know there is something definitely wrong with Mariah Careys’ voice. It sure does not sound the same, but I do know this when you are pregnant it changes a lot of things in your body, your rib cage and body is going through changes, expanding in so many directions that it can cause that to happen. You can’t grasp enough air, I’m telling you this from personal experience, doctors usually tell you to take it easy,or sometimes it could be that you just wrecked your vocal cords. There is surgery for that. Most likely she is not going to do that cause she is pregnant right now. I’m sure she will do it once she has had her baby. I disagree with the fact that Mariah has been the only female to be able to pull does high notes. That is a bunch of BS shows how much you know about music and high notes. Operas can also do that, even people that are taking voice classes, I see it all the time. I matter of fact there is some notes Mariah Carey cannot even do. I do agree yes she is the greatest singer, but there is females out there right now that can sing high notes just like Mariah Carey. They just have to get recognized, you have to know people to be out on the top… if you know what I mean… But people are really political incorrect to think that Mariah Carey is the only female that can pull this high notes. That is called ignorance, and being closed minded. I have friends that can sing like Mariah Carey, they just don’t know how to get recognized. They have gone to competitions. But oh well that is besides the point.
I’M 13 SO I HONESTLY DON’T CARE ABOUT HER RANGE RANGE AND STUFF BUT I LISTEN TO HER AND DAMN NOBODY SOUNDS LIKE HER IF GEORGIA WAS THAT GOOD SHE WED BE A SUPERSTAR SHES NOT A SINGER SHE ONLY WHISTLES MARIAH CAN DO SO MANY THINGS WITH HER FAB VOICE I’M JUST SO IN LOVE WITH HER
MIMI PLEASE SING FOREVER
let me tell you guys!!! let Mariah Carey blow-off your ears through her whistle… let’s see… LMAO! this article is just a trash!
am… For me my idol Mariah Carey’s voice is very powerful to anyone else,then for me the notes she hit on the EMOTIONS(ALBUM RECORD)was very high and sharp specially in the whistle voice…the on the ALL IN YOUR MIND (ALBUM RECORD) was also very excellent to hear by anyone, because 8s too very high to sing specially when she talk-like almost the whistle voice there…thanks
yeah Maxine was right that who cares if she can’t sing in full 8 octave voice, for us her fans that her voice is too very powerful, stylish, high pitch and very sweet like a bird on a tree…
Just to add, am… also the 18 seconds duration of her whistle voice on the song FOR THE RECORD was very stop-breathing like because see a singer sing a whistle voice within 18 seconds? How amazing ?
Mariah is better than Georgia
My friend sings in an amazing 11 octave range. Her name is Afrikana De Puta
hi…..r.i.p your so naughty how dare you to mention that your friend can sing an 11 octave..WHO CARES??? We don’t need your comments about ridiculous….!!!!!
The sheer ignorance of the fan-dom here is amazing. It just goes to show that we really need to re-institute musical education in this country.
Check out the diagrams on this page for vocal range.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_range
Look especially for the passage about OPERA.
PS: If you can’t sing every single note in between, then merely “hitting” the note does not make it part of your range.
PPS: Someone wrote that Mariah sings opera. Who said she did it well? Opening a mouth and learning an Italian aria does not make one a competent opera singer. I have yet to hear any famous pop singer sing opera in a way worthy of being put on an opera stage. Just cause it’s opera doesn’t mean it is a challenging piece either.
I just listened and used my piano to check, she does in fact hit a G#7…… but I don’t think she meant to, it was out of control….. the F#7 was in control….. but she did hit it, listen very close….. she goes up right before hitting the F#7….. to the G#7 but comes down to the F#7. so G#7 is the highest note….. but in reality that was her in the moment, she can control at least by this video the F#7.
MARIAH CAREY lowest note is E2 from her song “bliss” and F2 from her song “yous” and also G#2 from her live interview.
MARIAH CAREY highest note is G7/G#7 from live rendition of her song “emotion” and also she hit E7-G#7/E7-F#7 in 14 seconds when she sing in GUINNESS WORLD RECORD and some other says that she hit C8 in her live concert, and his vocal coach say that he heard MARIAH CAREY surpassed the highest note of the grand piano C8 with 2 step above the piano which is E8 while MARIAH CAREY vocalizing and warming her voice, no doubt that MARIAH CAREY hit E8 because she sustained G#7 while she sing in GUINNESS WORLD RECORD.
MARIAH CAREY vocal range in live is G#2-G#7 (5 octave) and her full vocal range is E2-E8 (6 octave) she also sustained 18 seconds whistle register.
MARIAH CAREY is the only singer have the ability to sing super whistle register with swiftness,full control and loud but soft sound of tones and the ability to hit acrobatic tones to the 8 octave.
Georgia Brown true vocal range is G2-G#8 (6 octave and 1 semitone) she never hit G10 that was impossible, G10 is only produce by atomic bomb,jet engine or volcanic explosion and not produce by a human, if she can hit G10 why she can’t hit F10 or G9 in live, she only hit C#8 in live, Georgia Brown whistle register is rare but she has no control to soften the notes, her sound always very loud and sharp which is irritating our ears, she sound like screaming not singing.
Georgia Brown has (6 octaves and 1 semitone from G2-G#8) and MARIAH CAREY has (6 octave from E2 to E8) with the possibility to break Georgia Brown record with more only 1 semitone.
MARIAH CAREY and Georgia Brown is a greatest singer and I like them both, but MARIAH CAREY is the best in terms of singing…
Mariah’s lowest note is E2 and her highest G#7 she can probably sing higher she never tried.. In 2009 she reached Eb7. She still has got the pipes !!
@rip your friend can’t have a 11 octave range because if she did she would have been on the Guinness book of records! well I must say the notes she may hit are painful to the ears
she is da bst female singer i ever heard…. her voice is god gift…..may she sing as long as she can…
Mariah is the best! She is creative in whistle register and she’s not overdoing it and esspecialy not faking it.
dude men have more range than women,it’s coz their cords can xtend much more.& as suuch we have this BRUCE DICKINSON with 5 octaves,& DANI FILTH from CRADLE OF FILTH with an awesome 6 octave range
Mariah has an incredible range. But those freaky high notes are “hit”; she doesn’t sing them. Her whistle technique is impressive and one of the best there ever was in terms of phrasing and vibrato. The notes on “All in your mind” and the live version of emotions were due her being sick. her chords were swollen making it easier to whistle. When she was little she spoke in a whistle voice because she liked the sound of it. Her mother taught her how to control it and found out that it was actually due to nodules on her chords. I have developed nodules due to improper technique and smoking. I hope to get my voice back, one day. But, I have found my whistle register thanks to those nodules…I can’t really “sing” with it but, everybody can access their whistle register. When trying to find it, keep in mind; going into whistle SHOULDN’T HURT or feel like a strain. If you feel like you’re straining; you’re overdoing your chest voice-a sure way to destroy your chords.
Basic music terminology. An octave consists of 7 unique notes, but spans 8; octo is Latin for eight. I’d say the majority of posters here need to get edgimicated. MC may have incredible range, but the songs she sing really suck!
Wow! Most of the people here are really full of bullsh**. First of all, the one who wrote this article needs to go back to school – he cannot spell, cannot complete a sentence, nor can he punctuate correctly. Second, to the poster who said Mariah liked to use the whistle register when she was little because she liked the sound of it, get a grip! Did you know her back then? No. I did – yes, that’s right, I went to school with her. She used to have very bad sinus infections and missed school because of it. When she had them and woke up, that’s all she could do because of her airways being blocked by mucus. Third, to the last poster who said she sings songs that really suck…is that why she became one of the best selling female performers in the history of the U.S.? Yeah, so check yourself and the kind of music you like before posting your crap. Fourth, to everyone arguing over her range, go measure your own range and try to get famous! Quit worrying about what she can and cannot sing and enjoy the music – who gives a sh** how many notes and octaves she can hit? What matters is that your asses aren’t famous and up there on stage… are you? So when you make it there, then spew your sh**.